As a result of chromosomal translocation, originally separate genes fuse into a fusion gene. It is known that fusion genes containing part of a kinase gene, such as a BCR-ABL1 fusion in chronic myelogenous leukemia, an EML4-ALK fusion in lung cancer, and an ROS1 fusion in a variety of cancers including lung cancer, often play an essential role in carcinogenesis, and that drugs which inhibit the function become an extremely effective anti-cancer agent (Non-patent literature 1, and Patent literatures 1 and 2).
Nowadays, the relationship between molecular diagnosis and therapeutic effects on cancer is being shown clinically by the appearance of, for example, tyrosine kinase inhibitors Iressa and Tarceva. As a result, the concept of drug administration to eligible patients stratified by molecular diagnosis is spreading.
With respect to a FGFR3 (Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3)-TACC3 (Transforming, Acidic Coiled-coil Containing protein 3) fusion, its presence was reported in glioblastoma (Non-patent literature 2), bladder cancer (Patent literature 3 and Non-patent literature 3), and lung cancer (Patent literature 3 and Non-patent literature 4), but there has been no report in female genital cancer. There has been no report that a kinase domain of FGFR3 can be part of a fusion (i.e., the presence of a fusion containing the kinase domain of FGFR3), and TACC3 can be part of a fusion (i.e., the presence of a fusion containing at least a portion of TACC3) in female genital cancer.